Ultra-high resolution microlens microscopy

Optical microscopy is one of the most widely used and convenient methods of imaging samples without complex real-time preprocessing, with a resolution not available to the human eye. However, the resolution of any modern conventional optical microscope is limited by the diffraction limit, which is about 200 nm in visible light. To increase it, and to overcome this limitation, a microlens is proposed. A microlens is an optical lens that produces an image by 'capturing' light waves in the near field reflected from an object. Positioned between the specimen and the microscope objective, the microlens is an optical amplifier that enhances the resolution of the microscope. This paper presents the results of experiments on overcoming the diffraction limit in optical microscopy by using microlenses in a conventional optical microscope. The potential use of optical microscopes with microlenses lies in achieving new possibilities for imaging bacteria, viruses, DNA and biomacromolecules with a detailed real- time study of their inner structure.